Finality
by JPTorres26
Summary: With the battle against Nyx reaching its climax, Minato and Hamuko are faced with the toughest decision of their lives. They have gone through high and low together as friends and lovers, but the miracle can only be a miracle of one.
1. The Final Visit

**Persona 3 Fanfiction**

**~Finality~**

**Chapter 1 ~ The Final Visit**

* * *

_After fighting for what seemed like eternity, after reliving the battle of the 13 Arcanas, and defeating Death, the Nyx Avatar fell. The harbinger of the Fall that was once the mysterious boy Pharos and the mischievous Ryoji Mochizuki, was defeated. But the battle was not over, the moon appeared and slowly descended upon them, its eery glow occupying the night sky of the Dark Hour. The people's transmogrification wore off, and panic spread like wildfire all over the city. The moon, or Nyx, opened a hole in itself and started to beat down on the exhausted SEES members, rendering them unable to move as it slowly began to descent to commence The Fall._

* * *

Everyone except the two Fools were already down on the ground, unable to resist the force Nyx had unleashed.

"Why! Why can't I move!" Hamuko cried out as she struggled to get on her feet, using her Naginata to support herself. She had already used nearly all of her strength in the earlier battle, and was already worn out, a few more moments of futile struggle, she fell down. "Why...can't I do anything anymore?" she said as she pressed both her arms on the ground to get up again, but to no avail, as she went crashing back down as soon as she lifted her body up.

"Ha...Hamuko!" Minato was also struggling to keep his footing, he was already kneeling on one knee, only keeping himself up with his sword thrust upright on the ground. He too tried to struggle to stand on his feet, but as Nyx sent out another shock wave, his attempts resulted in him crashing down on the ground as well. "I...can't...stop here!" like the other Fool, he tried standing up again, but the force was stronger than ever, and it kept him grounded.

Their world suddenly turned black. The next thing they felt was their bodies being pulled to someplace, and the next thing they saw was that they were being pulled towards a door. Light suddenly flashed before them, and when they came to, they were both again in the room only they have access to, the Velvet room.

"Is...is this the afterlife?" a dazed Hamuko asked.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." greeted Igor, the long-nosed proprietor of the _business._

"I think it's safe to say that we are not dead yet, Hamuko." said Minato.

"I see that you've found yourself face to face with probably, the most powerful foe you both have encountered." continued Igor, behind him stood Elizabeth and Theodore, the assistants that have catered to Minato and Hamuko's businesses in the room. "As such, I see you need my help in defeating this, powerful adversary." Igor continued.

Minato and Hamuko simply nodded in agreement, both of them knew that being driven to the Velvet Room involuntarily meant that something was going to happen. Igor smiled as he shifted his sights to the two Fools that have been frequent guests of his _business. _"Did you remember what I told you when we first met here in the Velvet Room? That your power depends on the strength of the social links that you make in your life?" Igor paused for a moment and brought one hand up to cup his ear "Listen. Can you hear the many voices?"

The two Fools remained silent as they suddenly began hearing their friends, their social links, calling out to them. Even if everyone around them was panicking and running, they kept calm and believed that Minato and Hamuko were doing the best they can, that they did not lose hope in the face of certain doom, that they did not back down.

Hamuko looked at Minato, who shared the same look of surprise "Minato, everyone's calling out to us." she said

"Yeah..." replied the bluenette "they believe in us, Hamuko. We can't let them down." as Minato finished, the elevator, the essence of the Velvet Room stopped, along with the hand of time that had continually turned. The room was suddenly filled with a bright light and the door of the elevator slid open.

As Igor observed the two, he suddenly sensed something "This is...it seems your power has grown far greater than I ever expected." the Fools replied with questioning looks "The power in your hearts has awakened the power of _The Universe _arcana. This is the most powerful one I've ever encountered, it's the first time I've actually been able to create something this powerful." Igor then held his hands out in front of him and a flash of light suddenly came. A single card was seen floating above Igor's hands. "Take this, with this power, you can find the strength to defeat _the one who cannot be defeated._" the card glided its way towards the two Fools. Hamuko took the card in her hand, and Minato then placed his hand over hers. "Also, do you remember the contract that both of you signed?" Igor asked.

"Yes, what about it, Igor?" Minato asked. It was Pharos who presented them the contract when he and Hamuko first arrived at the dorm, and it was that contract that first granted them access to Igor's Velvet Room. "Yeah, does it matter right now?" Hamuko shared his inquiry.

"The both of you then remember the pact that you agreed upon in that contract, to take full responsibility for your actions, I would guess." Igor paused again "The terms on both your contracts have been fulfilled, and as such, I think this will be the last time you would come here to the Velvet Room." The Fools then exchanged confused glances before turning back to the proprietor "Well then, it's time you returned." Igor finished as he watched the two Fools blur out of the Velvet Room.

"They may have fulfilled their contracts here, but they still have to make one last decision." Igor contemplated on the Fools' situation a few moments later.

"Indeed, and it's not about choosing between doing it or not..." said Elizabeth, sincere concern painted over her voice "it's about choosing who will do it." Theodore finished wording out her thoughts, the same concern displayed as he spoke.

"Either way, in the end, only one will have found their answer to life." said the long-nosed proprietor.


	2. Miracle of One

**vInEscape - I actually planned to include some parts at the beginning of this chapter into the first one, but I thought it would be better if I left it at that. The mean cliffhanger wasn't really intentional :p Anyway, I bring you the update so I hope you enjoy. :)  
**

**Cross Multiply - Here's the update, I hope you like this one. I really enjoyed writing this chapter to be honest, because for some reason, I can actually see everything happening here as if it really happened. :)  
**

**Chapter 2 ~ Miracle of One**

* * *

_When all hope seemed lost, the Fools true strength was realized in the form of the Universe arcana bestowed upon them by Igor. It was through the unbreakable bonds that both of them had forged with their friends that they now possess the power, in Igor's words: 'strength to defeat the one who cannot be defeated'. As they were sent away from the Velvet Room and back to reality, Igor and the two assistants of the Velvet Room couldn't help but worry about a certain decision that Minato and Hamuko would then face._

* * *

Their visions were once again surrounded by a bright light as they felt themselves being pulled away from the Velvet Room. When they came to, they realized that they were back in reality, at the top of Tartarus, with certain doom staring down upon them. Minato then felt something was different, no more was the enormous weight that pushed him down to the ground, instead he could feel lightness in his body. He tried pushing his body up with his arms, and was surprised that he could do it without difficulty, he then brought his knee up to try and get on his feet, and it wasn't hard to do either.

_What is this? How can I move? _Minato's thoughts wandered as he was Hamuko also getting on her feet. "Hamuko!" he called out to her.

Hamuko looked over towards Minato and saw that he too was getting up "What's happening! Why are we able to move!" she called back. The loud ruffling of the wind that pushed them down before was still there, and it made yelling to each other the only real way of communicating. She reached for her naginata as she slowly made her way towards the other Fool.

The members of S.E.E.S, who were still grounded, managed to look up and saw that their two leaders were on their feet. "How...how can you? Why can't I move!" Junpei struggled to get on his feet, but to no avail. Everyone was too exhausted struggling against the force that they couldn't even move their body.

Minato was still on one knee when Hamuko got to his side, he picked up his sword as he stood on his feet. As he looked over to Hamuko, he can see that she wore a slight smile on her face as she looked up towards Nyx "Perhaps..." he started, effectively getting her attention as she turned to him "this is the power that Igor...no, everyone gave us."

"Yeah," replied the brunette "and it turns out that we're the only ones who can do this. I guess we really are special." Hamuko added the last part jokingly, Minato gave off a light chuckle at it.

"Why does it always have to be with the two of us?" Minato feigned annoyance as slowly slid his free hand into hers, because deep inside, he was happy that even in the face of certain doom, she was still with him. Her tactless attitude and aggression in battle, he loved her for it, even if she got everyone in a couple of close calls back then.

Hamuko slightly gasped at Minato's sudden gesture. She lightly blushed as his blue eyes met her crimson ones "You know why? Because we've been through a lot together, Minato." she said in a gentle voice, a voice that she had only let Minato hear in her whole life.

Minato smiled warmly at her before looking back to the moon, "Yeah, and this one ain't big enough to stop us." he tightened his grip on her hand as he spoke, he could also feel that she too held his hand tightly.

They could both feel their bodies lighten more, and before they knew it, they were already floating upward, heading towards the moon...and Nyx. They could hear the members of S.E.E.S crying out to them below, pleading them not to go through with fighting doom all on their own.

"Wait, don't tell them they..." Akihiko trailed off as he saw the two Fools floating up

"Minato! Hamuko! What are you doing!" Junpei cried out, he was not trying to play hero again, he did not want the Fools to go and face the unknown opponent by themselves. He continued to try getting up but to no avail "Damn it! Why the hell...can't I stand up!"

"No! Please! Don't go in there! Please!" Aigis, too, cried out. She had never felt more frightened for the safety of the Fools, in fact, she was already shedding tears as she watched the two of them continue on their way to the moon.

"You idiots! Don't do it! Come back! Nooo!" Yukari desperately called out, she knew fighting the Avatar was hard enough, and seeing the two of them head into the unknown made her sense something grim.

Yukari's cries slowly fainted to silence in the Fools' ears as they continue their way inside the moon. The two of them slowly glided their way in, and a faint flash was seen in the distance. "Hey, that light, do you think it's..." Hamuko trailed off and glanced towards the bluenette.

Minato nodded in response "It's Nyx." he firmly said. Little by little, the light grew from an occasional flash to something of form. Only when the Fools stopped floating and set their feet back on the ground did they see what exactly was deep within the moon. Hanging above them was a bright, crystallized egg-like form surrounded by what seems to be a white web.

The two Fools readied their weapons as they stared at what could either be the core of Nyx, or Nyx itself. They glanced at each other and nodded as they charged towards Nyx. Hamuko swung her Naginata across while Minato slashed from above. Their attacks left a cross-shaped mark on the surface of the core, which quickly disappeared and returned to what it was before.

"It healed itself!" Hamuko couldn't hide her dismay at how easily the core shrugged off their attacks. "How are we supposed to destroy this thing?" she quickly turned towards Minato, who had already pointed his evoker to his temple.

"If we can't use brute force, then we have no other choice." Minato pressed the barrel of the evoker closer to his temple "Messiah! Megidolaon!" he called out as he pulled the trigger. The ultimate Persona of Judgment appeared behind him and summoned a purple orb, then hurled it towards the core. When the Almighty spell exploded, the core was visibly damaged, with bits of the crystal covering torn off, yet, like their earlier attack, the core started regenerating its damaged structure. "Hamuko, it's re-healing, attack now!" Minato called out

At Minato's call, Hamuko already had her evoker to her temple "Orpheus Telos! Megidolaon!" she too called her Persona out for the Almighty spell. The red and gold armored Fool Persona formed behind her, and as he strung his harp, the same purple orb flew towards the still recovering egg and exploded on impact. The core that had already been damaged prior to Hamuko's attack, was now even more damaged as the recovery speed was not enough to fully heal itself in time.

Surprisingly, the core stopped healing itself, and red particles started floating around it as it started to charge up for what seemed to be a counterattack. "Minato, that thing's charging up, what are we gonna do?" Hamuko immediately asked as crackles echoed around.

"I'm not sure, but I think we better attack it while it's doing it." As if they knew exactly what they needed to do, Minato and Hamuko brought their evokers to their own temples and simultaneously commenced an attack. "Megidolaon!"

Messiah and Orpheus Telos appeared behind them, side by side, started conjuring up the Almighty spell, and as the purple orb took shape, the Persona of Fool and Judgment brought their attacks together and created a larger orb. The core's attack had slowly taken shape as well, a red orb that was as big as the combined attack of the two Personae. The Fools sent their attack flying towards the core and the red orb was released to intercept the Almighty spell. The two gigantic orbs made contact and for a few seconds struggled for dominance, Minato and Hamuko also found themselves slowly pushed back by the collision of the two attacks. They were sent flying back when an explosion emerged from the two conflicting orbs.

Minato and Hamuko managed to land on their feet after the shock of the explosion sent them flying, as the light from the explosion settled, the Fools saw that the red orb was flying straight for them. It had apparently overpowered their Megidolaon and went on to continue its flight path towards them. The size of the orb was big enough to hit the two of them, Hamuko braced herself as the orb neared contact, but she suddenly felt herself lift off the ground. "What the!" Hamuko saw that Minato had pushed her aside as the orb made impact, he had pushed her away from the orb's projectile, but took the brunt of the impact alone. Hamuko's eyes widened in shock as she saw the red orb engulfing the male Fool, all she heard was the sound of the giant energy crashing down the ground and Minato's cry of pain as it hit.

"Minatooo!" Hamuko cried out. When the dust settled, she saw Minato lying motionless on the ground and immediately rushed to his side. "Minato! Are you okay?" panic was written all over her voice as she surveyed the bluenette's condition. His clothes were torn, and blood was trailing down from his forehead. Even after she shook his body, there was still no response, Hamuko feared the worst "Minato? Hey, Minato! Answer me!" she pleaded.

"Ha...Hamu...ko?" came the faint response from Minato. He was badly injured, and barely conscious.

Before Hamuko could say anything, crackles once again echoed the field, and when she looked up, she saw that another red orb had formed.

_Damn it, it must've recharged right after the first shot_ Hamuko cursed under her breath. She knew she had little time before the orb shot in her direction, so she simply stood in front of Minato and braced herself. "I won't let you take him!" she shouted out. Right then, the orb came flying towards her and made contact. Hamuko's cries of pain were drowned out by the deafening sounds that engulfed her. Hamuko fell on one knee for a moment, seemingly having the strength to do so, but soon, she too fell to the ground, right beside Minato.

Hamuko managed to reach her hand out and touched Minato's "I...is this the end?" her voice was faint, and her voice suggested defeat.

Minato couldn't find the strength to speak, so he simply held her hand tightly as crackles echoed, signifying that Nyx was now preparing the final blow to the Fools. Minato closed his eyes as he prepared for impending doom, Hamuko did so too moments later as strength rapidly escaped their bodies.

"Is there nothing we can do?" a child-like voice echoed and Minato immediately recognized who it belonged to. _Ken? _Minato's thoughts were then suddenly interrupted"Don't give up! We have to believe they can do it!" another voice echoed, this time a mature, masculine one _Akihiko-senpai? Why are they... _"Give them strength! Take my life, if you must!" a mature, feminine voice called out. _Mitsuru-senpai too? _Trails of light suddenly began to descent upon Minato, and he suddenly felt strength coming back to him. Struggling to get on his feet, he saw that the projectile had launched and was now heading for them. Minato stood ready for the attack and when the orb was supposed to make contact, it deflected to the sides, leaving a huge hole on the rock surface that it hit.

"M-Minato?" Hamuko was surprised to see her partner on his feet, "Did I just hear...?" she trailed off

"Yeah! I'm willing to risk my life as well!" a strong female voice then spoke, and Hamuko recognized it as her best friend's _Yukari-chan? _"They're gonna face it all by themselves!" echoed a timid voice _Fuuka-chan too? _"No! They're not alone! I'm not gonna let them die up there!" said a man's voice, who the Fools easily recognized _Junpei-kun as well! _The trails of light that fell upon Minato were now descending down unto Hamuko, like with Minato, she suddenly found herself able to move. She too was badly injured like Minato, and as she struggled to get on her feet, she felt Minato's arms helping her up. When they looked towards the core, they saw that it was rapidly charging up and delivering the energy orbs towards them, yet to no avail, as their new found strength deflected every single attack.

Strangely though, they couldn't hear the crackles anymore, everything had shut out from their hearing except the voices of their friends cheering them on. The voices became clearer and clearer, and a few new ones came in as well.

"Arf! Arf!" S.E.E.S' resident pet and brother-in-arms called out to them

"I won't allow this world to be destroyed!" the Fools' mechanical guardian cried out

"Koro-chan, Aigis, everyone..." Hamuko trailed off, her lips slowly forming into a smile

"They all believe we can do this, so let's not let them down." Minato firmly said as he placed his hands on Hamuko's shoulders. He looked into her eyes and saw that the look in her eyes mirrored his. They knew they were the only ones who could combat Nyx, they had already accepted the fact that they would end up on this situation one day. After all, no one else had the ability to wield multiple Personae other than them. They turned towards Nyx and started walking towards it when they heard another voice.

"Alright, let's do this." it was a deep masculine voice, yet it sounded so gentle. Even their fallen friend, reached out to encourage them.

Suddenly, something flashed in front of Minato and Hamuko. The two looked on as the Universe Arcana card slowly materialized before them, floating in the air as a mysterious voice spoke out.

"_Thou art I...and I am thou, thou hast unlocked the power of the Universe Arcana. Thy time hast come for thy great power to be in thou possession. Thy power to help thou quell thy flames of Armageddon, and save thy universe from thy dark destiny."_

"So...this is the power that our bonds gave birth to..." Minato said as he listened intently to the Arcana's words

"_Thy foe thou face right now, is not one that needs to be destroyed, but one that needs to be sealed away. Nyx is the deliverance of death, yet her origin is of neither light nor darkness. Her neutrality was never supposed to have been tainted, and her arrival was caused by the pleas and cries of Erebus, a being formed from all the despair and longing of death by none other than humanity. The ever spreading fire that is Erebus' existence, hast been fueled further by the rise of this accursed tower."_

"But if Nyx isn't the evil one, what are we supposed to do? Who are we supposed to fight?" Hamuko asked the great Arcana.

"_Erebus must not reach Nyx, for when he does, Nyx will adhere to humanity's longing for death, and subsequently end your existence. The power I will bestow upon thou, is the power to create thy seal that will prevent Erebus from reaching out to the death incarnate. As you may now know, this kind of power comes at a price, that being one's entire life essence. Using one's body and soul to act as the barrier between Erebus and Nyx. For you humans, using this power will mean certain death."_

The two Fools fell silent after they heard what he cost of saving the world was. Their own lives.

"_I will protect thou from any harm Nyx would attempt to inflict, but bear in mind what I am about to say. Only one of thou will be able to become the 'Great Seal' and prevent the scorching flames of Armageddon."_

With the Arcana's final words, the card disintegrated into light and merged itself with the two Fools, who remained silent. They knew it was the only way to put an end to the Dark Hour, Tartarus and everything, yet now, one of them has to sacrifice their life to become the Great Seal between Death and humanity's despair. A few moments went by and Minato was the first to break the silence.

"I'll do it." he said, however Hamuko wasn't going to let him off so easy. She felt her hand tightly gripping his arm as he walked forward.

"No! I won't let you do it, Minato! I cannot let you die!" she said as she stared him down with an icy glare. "I'd rather be the one, so just stay back and..*gasp*" Hamuko started to make her way towards Nyx when Minato suddenly drew his sword to her neck. "So that's how you want it, huh? Well fine by me!" Hamuko did not want to hear his explanation anymore, and neither did he, the both knew they had to fight each other for the right to become the Great Seal.

It was not that they were trying to prove one was greater than the other, it was that they did not want the other to sacrifice their life when they can do it themselves. Minato and Hamuko's love for each other had ended up getting them to battle each other for the right to shoulder the burden alone, the right to die.

Hamuko swung her naginata wide and Minato jumped back to avoid, she followed up by charging towards him, thrusting her weapon to hit him, one of the thrusts was parried by Minato and he quickly retaliated by quickly running towards her and slashing down, wounding her arm in the process. Hamuko jumped back a few times to recover, but Minato surprisingly did not give chase.

"Hamuko! I don't want to do this, I don't want to hurt you!" Minato called out as he saw blood trailing down the wound he had caused "So please, just let me do it!"

The girl responded by charging recklessly toward him again, this time, Hamuko stuck her naginata to the ground as she ran, using it as a springboard to attack Minato from above, her sudden airborne move caught him off guard, and barely managed to avoid her airborne swing, once she landed on the ground though, she followed up with a swift thrust that Minato dodged a split-second late, the spear's blade wounding his torso.

"I don't want to hurt you too, Minato." began Hamuko, with tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke "But you leave me no choice, why won't you let me do it!" she cried out and looked down as she pressed her free hand on her wounded arm.

"Because..." Minato saw the hesitation in Hamuko and quickly dashed towards her, when she lifted her naginata off the ground, he had already struck her stomach with the blunt side of his blade, stunning her and causing her to fall on one leg.

"You bastard, that...wasn't fair!" Hamuko cried out as she held her stomach in pain, she panted as she leaned on her naginata while getting up. As she looked at Minato, her eyes widened as she saw he had his evoker to his temple "Garudyne!" he called out and a huge swirl of wind appeared in front of Hamuko, when the wind spell came to, Hamuko went flying towards the wall. Minato had deliberately placed the spell in front of her to knock her back. She quickly got to her feet though, but when she looked towards Minato, she saw him being surrounded by a blue aura, the Universe Arcana card in his hand. "Minato! Don't do it!" she used all her strength to run towards Minato who simply turned towards her.

"Hamuko, I can't let you do it because..." he began as he saw her running towards him, tears now streaming down her face "because I love you too much to watch you die." with those words, Minato slowly lifted from the ground and slowly floated up towards the core.

Hamuko could do nothing but plead and call out to Minato "Minato, please! Come back! Don't do it! I don't want to lose you! Please!" even with their friends' voices calling out to them, Hamuko and Minato's strengths weren't restored to full, and after screaming out to Minato repeatedly, Hamuko exhausted her remaining strength and fell unconscious. "Mi...Minato...please...don't die..." she continously pleaded as her world faded to black.

Minato rose to level height with the core, grasping the Universe card in one hand, he raised his other hand in front of the core, which was still bombarding them with the red orbs that only deflected and slowly destroyed the walls of the chamber. He closed his eyes and called out his last resort "Power of Universe, I call upon thee!" the entire chamber was then engulfed in a white light, while Minato's consciousness slowly faded away. "Hamuko." he managed to say before black completely took over.


	3. Equivalent Exchange

**Chapter 3 ~ Equivalent Exchange**

* * *

_After realizing their fullest potential thanks to the power of the social links they have amassed, Minato and Hamuko proceeded to make their way into the core of Nyx, the gigantic moon that appeared before them. However, they found themselves facing against a more powerful foe than the Nyx Avatar, and was initally overpowered even with their new found strength. The voices of their friends that called out to them echoed one by one, and it gave the Fools' strength to resist all the attacks that the core dealt. Their final power, the Universe Arcana appeared before them once again, and told them that it was impossible to defeat Nyx all in all, and that sealing her was the only possible way, but it would cost one of them their life. Refusing to let the other die in their place, the Fools faced off against each other for the right to perform the Great Seal. In the end, one of them performed the final spell, amidst the cries of the other._

* * *

The other members of SEES that were left on top of Tartarus now found themselves on an empty space. The last thing they remembered after seeing Hamuko and Minato go up to the moon was a bright flash, and after that, they came upon their current status.

"Where are we?" Yukari asked as she looked around to see nothing but darkness and stars around them.

Mitsuru came up with a quick theory as she surveyed the area "Did Nyx create this place? Or was it them?" she wondered.

Akihiko quickly turned his attention to Fuuka, "Are they alright, Yamagishi? What happened?" he asked, tension evident in his voice.

Fukka only looked sadly towards Akihiko, "Everything was taken over by a bright light...I don't sense any of them." she said regrettably.

Ken looked down and had the same look of sadness in his face "Fuuka-san, don't tell me they..." he trailed off, only to be quickly interrupted by Junpei.

"No! That can't be!" Junpei cried out, he then quickly turned back towards Fuuka "Fuuka, try again! They can't be the only ones!" he was desperate, constantly throwing out the possibilities that were now coming to his head. Fuuka shook her head violently as her attempt to sense the two Fools went to no avail. Junpei looked down in despair "You have got to be kidding me..." he trailed off.

Akihiko grit his teeth and looked away from the others, "Damn it, not again!" his voice cracked as he spoke, he couldn't accept that Minato and Hamuko lost their lives in the battle to save them all, after all, it wasn't too long ago that Shinjiro passed away.

Mitsuru didn't bother to look back at the others as she slowly accepted the possibility of the Fools being gone "We all decided to put our lives on the line." she started "In fact, we came here knowing that we would most likely die."

"How...could I be so powerless?" All Aigis could do at that moment was look down and accept that the two people she vowed to protect ended up dying to protect her, tears welled up in her eyes again, and she was trying so hard to keep them from falling. "This...is what I did not want to happen! This is what I was trying to prevent!" her attempts of controlling her emotions failed, and she was now crying at what she thought was caused by her lack of power.

Yukari meanwhile, did not share the grim thoughts of everyone else and started calling out the Fools "Hamu-chan! Minato-kun! You're there, aren't you! I know you are! I refuse to believe that you're gone! Answer me! I know you can hear me!" her calls for them deeply affected Aigis, and moments later she too started too call out.

"We're all here! Please let us hear your voice!" Aigis was now in between desperation and hope, she desperately wanted to hear the two Fools again, while she now firmly hoped that what everyone said was not true.

The only reply that came to Yukari and Aigis' calls...was silence. A few moments later though, a voice echoed out across the empty space, but the voice did not belong to either of the Fools. "Don't worry." came a man's voice, a voice that everyone recognized well.

"That voice..." Akihiko trailed off as he recognized it as Ryoji's.

"I will go back to sleep once again. Normal days will return to this universe for you...and for them." continued Ryoji's voice. Everyone smiled at his last statement, they were now sure that both Fools were alright, even if they don't see them. "They both have faced life's greatest question, and found their own answers to it. It just happened quite sooner than it will for the rest of you."

"Life's greatest question..." Aigis echoed, unsure of how to exactly _live, _now that the conflict she was born to fight in has reached its conclusion.

"Aigis...one day, you will find the answer to that question as well because you too, are a precious living thing." said Ryoji's voice, knowing that Aigis still has her own life ahead of her "You just need to realize how much the bonds of friendship have changed you." he continued. "The Dark Hour will soon vanish from this world. All will be relinquished from its dominion, and life's continuity unblemished." he paused for a moment "Congratulations, you have earned the miracle you sought, we shall all meet again someday." he finished.

The SEES members were once again engulfed in a bright light, and when they came to, they found themselves outside the entrance of Tartarus. The bells tolled echoed repeatedly once again, as they all watched the tall edifice crumble and wriggle back to the ground, reverting itself back into the institution that is Gekkoukan High. As the tower's entrance tore apart, they all saw Minato and Hamuko walking out of Tartarus and back to the normal world. The tower completely vanished, and the Fools stood before the rest of SEES, clad in battle-scarred clothing, yet unharmed.

Out of sheer happiness to see that their brave leaders made it and came back to them, the SEES members ran towards the Fools and engage in a little group hug, quite the consolation seeing as all their efforts and life-threatening experiences will all be for naught in recognition. Still, being with the people you've stood and fought beside with was nothing short of satisfaction.

"You really had us worried back there, Mina-tan!" a cheerful Junpei now had his arm slung across Minato's shoulder down to his neck and squeezed him tightly

"J-Junpei! I can't breathe!" croaked Minato as he was being choked by his overzealous friend, who quickly let him go as he complained

"Yeah, we really thought you and Hamuko were goners for a moment." Akihiko was more than glad to see both of his kouhai alive and kicking, after the incident with Shinjiro, Aki would never have forgiven himself if anything did happen to the Fools, or anyone else in SEES for that matter.

"Wow, it must've been really hard fighting up there, Arisato-san. I'm really glad you and Chinami-san made it through!" Ken's words did not do justice as to how he really felt, inside, he was jumping for joy that the people he had been closest with in SEES were still alive.

"I knew you'd pull it off, Hamu-chan!" Yukari hugged Hamuko tight as she spoke, words not enough to explain her happiness for her best friend.

"For a moment, I thought I wouldn't see you again...but now you're still here..." Fuuka sobbed and wept the tears away from her eyes, greatly overcome by emotion. The moment she couldn't sense the two of them made her fear the worst, she actually did not stop looking until Ryoji had told them of their safety.

"You did amazing, Chinami." Mitsuru was more than proud of her kouhai, it was thanks to them that she can finally put everything she burdened herself with away. Her grandfather's ambitions, her father's plight, everything had now reached its ultimatum, and she can now resume her life normally.

"Thanks, Kirijo-senpai." Hamuko smiled, now that their battle was over. However her smile slowly faded, as she was bothered by a strange feeling, like she had forgotten something else important. True, the battle was now over, and there would be no more fighting shadows on their end, but there was something she forgot, something she felt she really needed to remember. Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted when she saw Aigis standing still from them, apparently the humanoid did not join them in their little group hug, and Hamuko approached her to see if anything was wrong.

"Aigis? Is there anything wrong?" she asked as she got closer, the robot was looking down, so her expression was unreadable, she didn't speak too, so there was no way of telling what was going on.

"Aigis? Everything alright?" Hamuko heard Minato ask as he too walked over to the stationary Aigis.

It took a few moments before Aigis reacted, teary-eyed, she immediately threw herself on the Fools. "Ah, Aigis?" responded the male fool as he felt her metallic arm wrap around the back of his neck, he looked over to Hamuko, who looked as dumbfounded as him for a moment before she looked over to him and chuckled.

"I'm so happy! Minato-san and Hamuko-san are alive!" said Aigis, though her robotic diction betrayed how she really felt. After remembering everything that happened, Aigis couldn't be happier, she felt responsible for both Hamuko and Minato, the people she unwillingly inherited the halves of death, and the joy of seeing them alive when all hope was lost was beyond her own understanding.

"It's finally over, isn't it?" Minato looked back towards Gekkoukan High, their beloved school that once turned into the den of shadows every night. As he looked at it, he knew he'll never have to look at the school differently again.

"Yeah, we did it!" Hamuko exclaimed as she too looked back to the school, she turned her gaze towards the giant clock and saw that time was resuming normally, and that the hands of the clock will never have to stop itself again.

Once they've all looked back at the site of Tartarus for the last time, everyone happily walked back to the dorm. Though no one would recognize them for their actions, they've been through a lot, they've experienced loss and deception, but in the end, they still achieved the miracle they fought for, and all they wanted to do now was rest, and prepare for the normal life they'll be living starting tomorrow. No more midnight outings, no more sleepless nights, they are all back to their lives as high school students.

On the way home, Minato walked far behind the group, as he looked at everyone chatting and laughing, he stopped and looked at the full moon above in the night sky and whispered something to himself.

"I guess I better make everything of the time I have left...after all, every miracle...has a price. It won't be long before I pay my dues. I just hope Hamuko doesn't remember...I want to do everything to make her happy and I don't want to see her sad before I go. How damn selfish and inconsiderate of me, playing with her memories because I don't want to see her tears..."

Knowing that he won't be staying long in the world with his friends, Minato couldn't help but shed a tear himself. The experiences he'll have in his last days...can only be relived in the memories of those dear to him. Hamuko...her name echoes in his mind as he follows his friends home. It wasn't his time yet...until then, he'll make sure she doesn't have to remember that he will soon pass. As far as Hamuko will know, Minato will continue to live happily alongside her, completely unaware of the consequences of his actions.

* * *

**And that's the new chapter!**

**Quite sad that Minato knows he'll die while everyone else doesn't have a clue of what's going to happen...**

**Inugami-chan ~ I'm glad you liked how I wrote it, I was actually anxious of how people would react to my style, this is actually the first fic I've tried this style on this one hence the anxiety.  
**

**Cross Multiply ~ Don't hesitate to let me know if this chapter also had a cliffhanger feel to it *wink*  
**


	4. Something to Remember By

**Chapter 4 ~ Something to Remember By**

* * *

_With the being known as Nyx sealed away, Tartarus and the Dark Hour disappeared from the world. Minato had made the greatest decision of his life, to sacrifice himself to ensure the continuing future of Hamuko and his friends. Hamuko, meanwhile, had lost her memory of Minato's act, unaware of his impending departure, which only Minato knows when. Having eradicated the Dark Hour, saved the world from the coming of the Fall and SEES have claimed the miracle they long sought for, but at the cost of the memories of all the fighting. They would resume life as normal high school students who lived the past year in the way other high school students did._

* * *

A month went by after that night, Minato knew he was the only one who still had the memories of everything, and he intended to keep it that way. Today was another school day, and Mitsuru and Akihiko's graduation was two days away. Graduation day...the day they all promised to meet on the school rooftop...and his last day on this life. Opening his eyes dryly at the sound of his alarm clock, Minato reached his arm out to his bedside table and tapped the digital clock repeatedly, hoping to hit the snooze button, which he hit after a few attempts.

_-knock!-knock!- _he heard someone knocking on his door, still lying on his bed, he slowly turned his head to the door "Who is it?" he asked

"Minato? It's Hamuko!" came the girl's muffled voice from outside "Hurry up! We're gonna be late for school!" she continued.

"Yeah, give me a minute, I'll be right there." Minato groaned and scratched the back of his head as he sat up and slid his feet off the bed, setting them down on the cold floor. He stared blankly at the floor for a moment, trying to get his bearings before he walked to his closet and took out his uniform. Changing from his t-shirt and shorts to his uniform and slipping in his brown shoes in a minute, he took his bag from his desk and walked to the door.

When he opened the door he caught the sight of Hamuko leaning on the wall, when she heard the door creak open she immediately looked and when she saw the bluenette come out of his room with his bed hair, she tilted her head and pursed her lips as she looked at him.

Minato looked at her wide-eyed, unsure of why she was throwing him that look "What? Is there something on my face or anything?" he asked. The next moment, Hamuko walked closer to him, tiptoed and started fixing his hair with both of her hands.

"There." Hamuko said as she lowered her hands to her sides, finished working on the boy's bed hair. "I can tell you still have your alarm set to five minutes late, didn't I tell you to set it back to five minutes in advance?" she had her hands to her hips as she spoke.

Minato looked up as he replied "I must have forgotten about it." he said, his expression suddenly turning one of annoyance "But what the heck was up with my hair? It's not like bed hair looks different from the usual." he trailed off.

"That's because it does look different." Hamuko placed a pointed finger over Minato's forehead "Did you even take a look in the mirror as you dressed up? Your hair was all scruffy and all over the place!" she said. "What are people gonna think if they saw you like that?"

Minato rolled his eyes "The last time I remembered, you were my girlfriend and not my mother." he smirked as he said the words. He then started walking down the hallway and onto the stairs "Come on, didn't you say we were gonna be late?" he said.

Hamuko simply groaned as she followed after him "Well, no one's gonna look out for how you look like except your dear girlfriend now, is there?" she teased.

Minato chuckled at her remark, he quickly turned back and landed a quick peck on Hamuko's cheek "That's why I love you so much." he teased back as he continued down the stairs, a satisfied smirk plastered on his face.

Hamuko froze at the bluenette's sudden affection, and her face flushed deeply. "Minato! You...you dummy!" she called out after him. Minato knew Hamuko too well, and he knew that being a girl with a tomboyish attitude such as hers, she would always turn red at the slightest show of affection or even the slightest word, as he did both. She soon chased after him as she exited the dorm. When she caught up to him, she gave him a jab by the arms, which he shrugged off with a chuckle. The two of them went their way to Gekkoukan High holding each other's hand, like they always did since they started dating.

Later, at Gekkoukan, the Fools saw Yukari and Junpei waiting for them by the school gates. In the month of ignorance that passed with SEES, Minato felt that everyone else was back to their old selves, including Hamuko. Junpei was still the carefree, cheerful mood maker of the bunch, but the incident with Chidori made him somewhat mature to an extent, something that even Hamuko envied back then. After the truth behind her father's death was revealed, Yukari became more open to everyone, especially Mitsuru. Seeing Junpei without the feel of maturity, and Yukari being withdrawn once again was uncomfortable to say the least for Minato.

_I wonder though...if their memories were replaced...could they have also forgotten the promise on graduation day?_ Minato wondered about this ever since finding out everyone had lost the memories of everything in the dark hour. _Whatever the case, though...I still have a lot to do while I'm here, and I'm not willing to leave things unfinished._

"Yo! Mina-tan! Hamu-chan!" Junpei called out as he say the Fools, waving his hands from a distance to get their attention.

Yukari sighed at the loud tone of Junpei, who stood just beside her "Stupei, do you really have to shout this much early in the morning?" she asked. Junpei just ignored her as they were approached by Minato and Hamuko.

"Morning, Junpei-kun, Yukari-chan." greeted Hamuko as she gave a small wave to their two friends.

"Morning, guys." was Minato's greeting.

"Damn, can't you guys feel the cold?" Junpei rubbed his arm with his other hand, obviously chilled by the cold weather "But of course, you guys don't miss a day of school even with this. I still can't believe the school year's ending soon, I'm gonna miss getting those power naps in class."

"Just one more year for us, huh? Do you think anything interesting is gonna happen?" Hamuko asked, she too was thinking about the senior life they're going to experience soon after the current seniors graduate.

Minato just shrugged as he replied "No idea, but you never know."

"Well, if you look at the seniors this year, you can't help but wonder." Junpei began "It seems all they do is just study, it gets creepy sometimes." he said, his voice hinting slight fear and dread.

"Oh? Maybe you're just looking at the other seniors the same way you look at Kirijo-senpai and Sanada-senpai." Yukari replied, everyone at the dorm is full aware of Mitsuru always being the highest scorer among all the seniors during examinations, given that she is a member of the school's Fencing Club and at the same time, the Student Council President. Akihiko was no different, he always scored high on the exams while being the Boxing club's top athlete and captain.

"That could be the case, Junpei-kun." Minato added to Yukari's statement "You do know that Kirijo-senpai's a natural achiever, and Sanada-senpai has that scholarship with the Kirijo group. Given that situation, I actually ain't surprised by what we see."

"But still, I haven't met a senior who slacks off as much as I do!" retorted Junpei "I may become culture shocked if what I said was true for our senior life!" he added.

"That's because no student would actually dare to slack off as much as you do, Stupei!" replied Yukari "You know you'd have already been forced to study if Minato-kun and Hamuko-chan didn't give you the answers whenever sensei asks you a question." she said as if she was stating a known fact.

"That's cruel, Yukari-chi! I resent that!" Junpei staunchly denied, though deep down, he accepted that he was only able to keep on sleeping in class because Minato and Hamuko always listened in class and tipped him the answers whenever he needed. His impressive recitation record didn't exactly mirror his other records, as a result. "Argh, suddenly I feel like I'm forgetting something important." Junpei groaned and then shrugged off his worries a moment later.

The four of them heard the school bell toll and began to walk towards the halls. Once they were inside the school gates, Junpei saw someone looking at them intently, and proceeded to let the others know. "Hey guys, is that girl looking at us? How come I've never seen her before, she's so cute!" in the midst of Junpei's girl radar picking up another signal, everyone else looked and saw a girl with blonde hair leaning against a tree and looking at them.

"What are you saying, Junpei, that girl also lives in our dorm!" replied Yukari as she recognizes the girl "Though...I don't know what her name is." recognition as it may be, the girl's name never really registered to Yukari.

"Oh..." Junpei trailed off, looking down in disappointment for a moment before it was replaced with his usual optimistic expression "I guess with so much going on at the dorms this year, I didn't even notice that she was already there." he said "Oh, since you mentioned the senpais, did you hear both of them are moving out after graduation?" he asked as he recalled.

"Really? It's a shame we didn't get to know them a lot better, those two were nice people." Yukari replied, her voice coated in slight regret.

_Aigis...I can't help but feel sorry for her, for everyone to forget about her after everything, it hurts to see it...I somehow need to let her know I never forgot, though I don't know just how to do it at the moment. _Minato remembered Aigis clearly as he looked at her, the humanoid went through so much change, that she's become unmistakably humane in her actions. Suddenly, he felt Hamuko tug at the sleeve of his shirt.

"Minato...why do I get the feeling...I know that girl." Hamuko's voice was shaky, like it really bothered her "I know I've seen her around the dorm...but I feel I know her...more than just a dorm mate...her name's on the back of my head but I just can't get to it." she said

_Hamuko...I'm sorry...your memories are tugging at you, but no matter how hard you try you won't be able to remember...it won't come back as long as I'm still here_ Every time Minato saw Hamuko or everyone's memories try to resurface, he couldn't help but feel guilty. Because he was not supposed to be alive, the memories of everyone around him regarding the Dark Hour and everything else were to remain suppressed until everything is at it right place, that is, his death.

Minato slowly placed his free hand over Hamuko's that clung on to the sleeve of his uniform. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have all the time to get to know her when we get back." he assured her, or in his eyes, he was repressing her memories from resurfacing.

Yukari walked a few steps towards Aigis and waved "Hey there! Is anything wrong?" she called out.

Aigis' eyes widened as she heard Yukari call out to her, she simply raised her hand and returned a small wave "Um...I..it's nothing, please don't mind me." she said, before she ran off away from Gekkoukan. Since Aigis is a machine, her memory bank remained intact, and as such, the memories of the Dark Hour were still there. For some reason, though, she too, was aware of the memory suppression that everyone experienced.

Everyone followed the departing Aigis with concerned looks. "She looked kinda down, didn't she? Wait...do you think she was looking at one of us!" Junpei's initially worried question turned playboy instinct made Yukari and Hamuko facepalm while Minato simply shook his head in disbelief.

"Junpei-kun, I really thought you were serious there for a moment." said Hamuko, giving Junpei a disappointed glare. First hit.

"I was actually ready to get the shock of my life there!" Yukari added, who genuinely believed that Junpei became increasingly concerned. Second blow.

"But then again, this is Junpei-kun we're talking about here." Minato delivered the final blow that crushed Junpei's optimism in an instant.

"Aww...you guys, it's like you're saying I never cared for her feelings." Junpei replied, quite sad over his friends' impressions.

Yukari patted Junpei's shoulder to cheer him up "Lighten up, Stupei, we're just joking. We're your friends, so we know you did." she said

Junpei's expression quickly changed as he looked at Yukari "Yukari-chi...you know...never mind, forget it." he trailed off

"Come on now, don't give me that. What is it, Stupei?" Yukari asked, wanting to know what Junpei was to say.

"Do you remember how we became friends Yukari-chi? You mentioned being friends, and it just occurred to me, how did we even get to know each other?" Junpei finally asked, a curious look on his face. "Don't take it the wrong way, though! It just occurred to me, that's all." he assured her as soon as he finished his first statement.

"Eh?" Yukari was dumbfounded at Junpei's sudden inquiry, she looked up and tried to remember how exactly they knew each other...to no avail "I..I don't even remember, but maybe because we've been classmates since last year that the exact moment is so cloudy." she said. The school bell tolled for the second time, and the four began the dash towards classroom 2-F, as the third bell was only a minute away.

After school ended in the afternoon, Akihiko entered classroom 2-F when Minato and the others were making their way out. "Hey there!" he greeted "So umm...are you guys free tonight?" he asked, earning questioning gazes from his four kouhai.

"Yeah, I've nothing to do tonight." replied Minato, the others nodded after him. "Why'd you ask, Sanada-senpai?" he asked.

"Well, graduation's coming up soon, I'm sure you know, and we never really had a get-together with everyone in the dorm." Akihiko paused for a moment, observing how his kouhai's curious looks "How does dinner at Hagakure sound? Mitsuru and I will treat you." he said.

The second years' eyes widened, flabbergasted that their senpais were actually treating them to dinner "Wow, are you serious, senpai?" Junpei asked, getting more and more excited by the second.

Akihiko smiled and nodded "Of course, we've been with you guys at the dorm for a year and I think it's the least we could do now that we're about to graduate." he said to them.

"Thanks, senpai." said Yukari "But isn't it usually the guys that would stay behind that would treat the ones leaving? Just asking." she added

"If everyone would be glad to treat us instead, it's okay." Mitsuru said as she walked towards room 2-F and stood beside Akihiko. "Don't make us change our mind, Takeba, like Akihiko said, it's the least we could do."

It was only then that something weird kicked in for Hamuko "Wait, am I seeing this right?" she said, earning confused looks from everyone "Kirijo-senpai is actually coming with us...to a ramen place!" she asked. Everyone, also noticing the oddness in the occurrence, had a _Oh, that's right _look on their faces as they turned curiously towards Mitsuru

Mitsuru chuckled at her kouhai's reactions "Well, if you were going out with someone whose natural after-school habitat is Hagakure, you're bound to be drawn to the place." she smiled before looking at Akihiko, who pouted at her like a little child.

"Hey, you're the one who always wanted to go there when we went on dates" Akihiko retorted, keeping his childish pout on his face. Mitsuru then poked his cheek in response.

"That's because I know you liked that place, that's why I always have us go there." she replied sheepishly. She glanced at her kouhai for a moment and saw that they were looking at them wide-eyed and mouth agape. It was then that it hit her, no one else at the dorm was aware of their relationship. Her face turned red and she started to walk away "Ah..at any rate, I'll be expecting everyone there later." she said as she stormed away.

Even Minato was shocked, even back then, he never knew his senpais were already dating. Then again, when did this start exactly? If it was already there when they started the Tartarus explorations, then they did a really damn good job of keeping a low profile. "Sanada-senpai, since when did you and Kirijo-senpai..." he trailed off, hoping he would catch the hint.

Akihiko's cheeks wore a pink shade after the bluenette's question, he got the hint alright "Well...I don't exactly remember how...but we've already been going out since October last year." he scratched the back of his head as he spoke, then turned around and started to walk away moments later "I still have club activities today, so I'll see you guys at Hagakure, alright?"

As they watched, flabbergasted as they watched Akihiko walk down the hallway, Junpei couldn't help but snicker at the thoughts that were forming on his head "You know, I think I have an idea why Sanada-senpai thought last Christmas to be great when I asked him" he said.

The two girls pondered in thought for a moment before realization hit them, their faces turned red as they looked away from Junpei "Tha..that's perverted, Junpei-kun!" said Hamuko "Stupei...you really come up with the worst ideas!" Yukari added. Minato did nothing but shake his head and shrug. Upon seeing his friends' reactions, Junpei burst into laughter as they all walked out of their classroom.

They all walked towards the monorail terminal, chatting about random things as they went past the tree-filled driveway in front of Gekkoukan. They reach the terminal and when they were to enter the platform bound for Iwatodai station, "Guys, I just remembered I still had to go to work at Chagall today." Minato said, putting on an apologetic look on his face.

"Is that so? I guess I'll see you later then." Hamuko closed the distance between her and Minato, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek "Take care" she whispered before she walked back to Yukari and Junpei, waving back at him and flashing a wink that effectively said _That was for this morning._

Minato shook his head and smiled when he saw her smile back at him as she, Yukari and Junpei boarded the monorail that stopped at the platform.

"You two really are unmistakable." Junpei said as the monorail set off, Hamuko titled her head curiously in response "Whenever you're together, you really look like a couple, I mean." he added.

"I have to agree with Junpei there." said Yukari "There's always a certain air whenever you two are together, something that isn't felt when you're alone." she added.

Hamuko looked down and smiled "Well, I think that's because it's always different when I'm with Minato. There's always this...comforting feeling whenever I'm with him." she trailed off, her two friends just shrugged and smiled.

"You two really are for each other, Hamuko-chan." Yukari said.

After seeing Hamuko and others off, Minato started to walk back down the platform and make his way to the opposite platform that was bound for Paulownia Mall. While on board the monorail, Minato looked out the window and saw the view of the whole Iwatodai area.

_I'll be missing this, even though I've seen the same scenery again and again for the past year...I'll definitely miss this _he thought as he switched his gaze from the Iwatodai Strip Mall, to the river that separates Iwatodai city from the Kirijo group's man made island.

He eventually arrived at Paulownia Mall and after getting off the monorail, he walked to the center of the mall and onto his true destination, Be Blue V. Before he opened the entrace, he took a look inside the accessory shop, looking for someone. He saw a woman with long brown hair but had her back turned to him, and as recognition flashed, he gently opened the door.

"Good afternoon, welcome to Be Blue V" the woman greeted as she turned around to see her most recent customer. She paused for a moment as she saw Minato and smiled "Oh, it's you, Arisato-kun, how's Hamu-chan doing?" she asked.

"Good afternoon, Kyoko-san." he greeted back before anything "Hamuko's fine, though she didn't come with me today since she was busy with club activities." he said, doesn't hurt to make an excuse once in a while.

"Oh, is that so? Well tell her I've missed her working here, customers like it when she's around to accommodate them." Kyoko said. Be Blue V was where Hamuko worked part-time during weekdays, pretty convenient as Minato worked at Chagall Cafe, just beside the accessory shop. Kyoko was the manager of Be Blue V, and over the time that his girlfriend worked here, she had become a sister figure to Hamuko. He'd always finish work early and go fetch Hamuko from work, and Kyoko became fond of the young couple. "Anyway, what brings you here?" she asked.

"How long does it take for a pair of personalized bracelet to be done, Kyoko-san?" Minato replied, indirectly stating his intentions for coming to the accessory shop.

Kyoko threw a curious glance at Minato for a moment "Usually, it takes three days to a full week depending on the quality of work." she paused for a moment "But since we've cleared all orders last week, I can have you pick yours up tomorrow, after school." she flashed a knowing smile.

"Wha...I haven't even said anything yet." Minato trailed off. _Was I that easy to read?_ He wondered.

Kyoko chuckled "It's not as if you'd come here just for chains to wear around, this is a women's accessory shop, after all." she said. "Besides, if I remember correctly, tomorrow is the 4th of the month, right?" she asked.

Minato's eyes widened for a moment, "I guess our monthsary's not that strange now, huh?" he smiled dryly

Kyoko tilted her head and looked to the side "If Hamu-chan getting excited about it every time at work for the past six months doesn't make you remember, I don't know what will." she said jokingly. "Anyway, I'm sure she'll like whatever you're gonna give her." Kyoko then slid open the glass door of the bracelet cabinet and took out a box that contained several designs, she placed it on top of the cabinet so Minato can see the bracelets more clearly.

"Thanks, Kyoko-san" Minato then took each bracelet out one by one and observed it thoroughly, checking every side if it conforms to his liking. One bracelet he took a long time checking was a clean silver slate with rose-like engravings on the side. He put it back and went on to check the other designs, but after going through every single one, he took it out of the box and handed it to Kyoko "I'll take a pair of this one, Kyoko-san." he said.

Kyoko took the chosen bracelet and observed it herself, smiling as she said "I don't know if Hamuko told you or you were just plain psychic to know that your girlfriend actually wanted this particular design." Minato gave her a curious look as she continued "_It's so pretty, I wonder if I could get myself one of those someday_, she even said once. It was when she was only a few days in the job here at the shop when she caught sight of it, she doesn't show it recently but I can tell by the way she looks at this design every time that she really liked this one."

"Wow...I honestly didn't know that, Kyoko-san." Minato was dumbfounded by what he just heard. "I mean...there was something about that design that just hit me, never imagined it would be that." he added.

"No matter the reason, I'm now certain she will love this." Kyoko put the bracelet box back inside the cabinet and took out a small piece of paper along with a pen and placed it on top of the glass. "Now, you said this was going to be personalized, right? Why don't you write down what you want to see in the bracelet, if you want to have different engravings on each then just indicate it." she said.

Minato didn't waste any moment as he picked up the pen and started writing down. Afterwards, he handed the paper over to Kyoko, who muttered a surprised "Oh!" and smiled as she read the message she was going to bore on to the silver bracelets.

"How much would everything be, Kyoko-san?" Minato asked as he took out his wallet from his pocket.

"Normally this would cost 15,000 yen, but for you, I'll make it 10,000" replied the shop manager.

"Wow, that's a big cut!" Minato was caught off guard by the huge discount Kyoko had given him "Are you sure that's okay, Kyoko-san? I mean isn't that too low?" he asked. It somehow bugged him to receive such a bargain out of nowhere.

"It could be, but seeing as that's for you and Hamu-chan, I figured it's the least I could do." Kyoko smiled at him before she walked to the shop's back room. She came back a minute later "Our craftsman's started working on it, and don't worry, I'll make sure it's finished by tomorrow afternoon, even if I have to finish it myself." she said to the bluenette.

Minato bowed in response "Thank you so much, Kyoko-san, I'll see you tomorrow then." with that, Minato left Be Blue V and made his way back to the monorail terminal to get back to the dorm and get changed for their senpais dinner treat at Hagakure.

Later that evening, Hamuko, Yukari, Junpei, Fuuka and Ken were on their way to Hagakure when Junpei remembered something "Hey, didn't you say that the girl from this morning was also living in our dorm? How come I didn't see her when we got back?" he asked.

"Who do you mean, Junpei-kun?" a confused Fuuka asked

"You remember the blonde girl who lives in our dorm right, Fuuka?" replied Yukari, but Fuuka became more confused than ever.

"Oh, that girl!" Ken said, apparent recognition as he spoke "Sanada-san told me that the girl was a transfer student." Looks that effectively said _Oh, I see_ quickly spread across the group, including Fuuka, who had now apparently caught on to what was being talked about.

They eventually reached Hagakure Ramen to find Mitsuru and Akihiko seated at a table, when the two saw them, they waved their hands so that their kouhai could see them. It was the biggest table on Hagakure, and it became apparent that their senpai had reserved this table for tonight. Upon checking who were there, Akihiko noticed that there was one missing head "Where's Arisato?" he asked.

"Oh, he said he was gonna go to Chagall to work earlier, so we haven't seen him since." came Hamuko's reply. She then brought up her cellphone from her pocket and started to dial Minato's number. The phone continued to ring until the line went dead, no answer. "He's not answering his phone too." Hamuko sounded worried.

"Hey, I'm sure Mina-tan will come around soon." Junpei cut in as he noticed that Hamuko was getting worried.

As soon as Hamuko was planning to dial Minato's phone again, they heard someone enter Hagakure, they turned to look and found Minato moving his head around, also looking for them.

"Arisato!" Minato heard Akihiko call out and immediately walked towards their table when he saw the others wave. He took the spot beside Hamuko, like always, when he sat down. Sitting with them in the row was Yukari and Junpei, while Akihiko, Mitsuru, Fuuka and Ken were seated on the row on the other side of the table. The waiter approached them and handed them the menu.

"What are you guys getting?" Akihiko asked "Don't hesitate, dinner's on us." he reminded them once again. Even though he was slightly closer with his kouhai compared to Mitsuru, Akihiko couldn't help but feel that they still act formally whenever around them.

"Oh, I'm just getting a regular bowl." Yukari said, earning a frown from Mitsuru

"Takeba, are you sure you're going with just that?" Mitsuru asked, quite surprised that Yukari wasn't making the most of the treat.

"It's alright, Kirijo-senpai. I'm not really a heavy eater." replied Yukari, wanting to end the inquiries before she gets coerced into eating a lot more.

"If you say so." Mitsuru backed off, it wasn't really a relief that the budget would actually make room because of Yukari's small order. After all, she wanted to enjoy the night as much as anyone.

Ken and Fuuka talked to each other for a moment before they decided on their orders "Ken and I would have the deluxe bowl." said Fuuka, the waiter diligently listing down the orders that he heard.

Junpei only had his eyes set on one thing though "I'll have the supreme bowl." he said that proudly too. Mitsuru and Akihiko smiled, at least someone was using the treat to its full extent.

"Hamu-chan and I would have the supreme too." Minato said after a moment of exchanging looks with Hamuko, "Oh, that's only one order, we're sharing on that." he cut in as soon as he saw the waiter writing it down. Everyone looked at them with questioning expressions, along with snickers from Junpei.

Akihiko turned his attention to the menu "As for us, what do you think should we get?" he asked, looking at Mitsuru.

"Hmm..." Mitsuru leaned closer to Akihiko, looking at the menu he was holding. "How about this one?" she pointed at something in the menu, he thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Akihiko placed the menu down on the table "We'll both have the daily Hagakure special. Oh, and that's only one order too." the waited listed down the last order and repeated everyone else's for confirmation, to which every nodded in agreement. As the waiter left to send the order to the kitchen, Akihiko winked at Minato and Hamuko, who were seated directly in front of them. Minato and Hamuko only laughed at their senpai's implications.

Their orders soon came minutes later, and because of the sharing that the couples had insisted on, they were bound to lose track of time. As soon as the two couples did start to lose each other in their own worlds, Fuuka leaned closer to Junpei and Yukari "Hey, don't you think there's something strange going on with the senpais?" she asked.

"Huh?" came the reply from both Yukari and Junpei, it was only then that they remembered that Fuuka wasn't there when Mitsuru let it slip. "Oh, that's because there really is something going on between them." Yukari whispered.

Fuuka quickly sunk back to her seat, trying to take in the current situation. "Wow, that was fast..." she trailed off "I wonder what's next, Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun?" she said, covering her mouth as soon as she spoke, Fuuka was lost in thought, and had unconsciously worded them.

Junpei and Yukari quickly exchanged disgusted looks, and turned their heads away from each other. "No way!" they both said in unison. Upon this, their eyes quickly met again as they started berating each other for who said what first.

Ken, who was quietly enjoying his ramen bowl looked up at the noisy Yukari and Junpei for a moment before he went back to enjoying his food. As he slurped a string of noodles, he turned to Fuuka. "Yamagishi-san...I think you're right about those two." he said. Clearly the kid was paying attention to everything. Sneaky.

After they were full, everyone happily walked back to the dorm together. Mitsuru had a hand across Akihiko's waist from behind while he had his hand across her shoulders as they talked about random things that came into mind. Minato and Hamuko held hands as the brunette rested her head on the bluenette's shoulder. Yukari and Junpei argued to no end about childish things, while Fuuka and Ken simply smiled at the sight. Truly that night was special, especially for Minato, that even after the memories were gone from everyone, they were still able to enjoy time together as they did back then.

* * *

**And so the update is done! There are actually only two chapters left, so this story is nearing its end.  
**

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it's the first chapter with actual romantic elements in it, which I so love to do every time. Fairly obvious ships in this chapter were the AkiMitsu and the ever beloved MinaMuko. As for JunpeixYukari, this will probably be the last time they'll get a mention, so sorry for those who were expecting more.  
**

**Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter (the longest one for this fic yet) and please review, I'd really love to know what you think of this one.  
**


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